Lauderdale Man Accused Of Mailing Postcard Threats

The postcards were always postmarked Fort Lauderdale, but the return addresses typed on the corners usually were from Washington, D.C., or Tucson, Ariz., or a federal judge`s home in Lauderhill.

The cards were signed ``Wolverines`` or ``The Committee of Vigilance.`` They contained racial, religious and political slurs, obscene language and threatened violence against the person each was addressed to.

``We have Soviet-made RPG launchers, AK-47 automatic rifles and molitov cocktails. AND WE ARE GOING TO USE THEM. Death to traitors. Wolverines,`` said one postcard.

And the cards -- at least 14 mailed since November 1983 -- were all mailed to U.S. congressmen and other federal officials.

But FBI agents said Wednesday the postcard threats will stop now.

A lengthy investigation, according to court records, concluded that both the Wolverines and The Committee of Vigilance were just one person, a 62-year-old Fort Lauderdale man discharged from the U.S. Air Force 22 years ago because of a mental disorder.

Ronald Davis of the 500 block of Northeast Ninth Avenue, a psychiatric patient, was arrested at his home Wednesday and charged with extortion. Later, U.S. Magistrate Patricia Kyle ordered that Davis undergo a psychiatric examination and be held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

According to court records, U.S. Rep. Ron Dellams, D-Calif., received the first threatening postcard on Nov. 10, 1983. Five days later, U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland, D-Texas, received a postcard with similar threats.

In the following months, according to records, cards were mailed to U.S. Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich.; John Dingell, D-Mich.; Larry Smith, D-Hollywood; William H. Gray, D-Pa.; Thomas P. O`Neill, D-Mass.; Dan Rostenkowski, D- Illinois; and Peter Rodino, D-N.J.

U.S. District Judge Alcee Hastings, three officials of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs in Washington, D.C., and U.S. Sen. Dennis Deconcini, D-Ariz., also received threatening postcards, agents said.

The postcards had phony return addresses typed on them, they said. In some cases, the return address was that of Hastings` home in Lauderhill.

The complaint says that one of the cards was found in a mail box between two letters bearing Davis` return address, and veteran mail carriers told agents that letters dropped into a mail box together usually stay together.